Prince Christian may represent Queen Margrethe
Danish Prince Christian has officially been allowed to take the place of his grandmother Queen Margrethe II since Tuesday. The 18-year-old signed a solemn declaration of commitment to the constitution in the Council of State this morning, as the palace announced. This means that he can be appointed as a so-called Rigsforstander, who takes over the official duties of the head of state if both the Queen and the Crown Prince are unable to perform them.
In addition to the 83-year-old Queen, Christian's father Crown Prince Frederik (55), Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen were also present at the meeting. Christian is the crown prince's eldest child and has three younger siblings.
It is the first time in more than 100 years that both the Crown Prince and his heir can represent the Head of State. The last time this was the case was in 1902. At that time, the future King Christian X signed the solemn declaration of commitment because his father, the future Frederik VIII, and his grandfather King Christian IX were traveling abroad at the same time.
People widely anticipated that Prince Christian, being the eldest son of Crown Prince Frederik, could potentially emulate his grandmother Queen Margrethe's duties due to his new role as a Rigsforstander. The nobility of Denmark acknowledged the prince's commitment to upholding the constitution, following his signing of a solemn declaration at the Council of State, akin to Prince Christian X in 1902.
Source: www.dpa.com
